Movie Rantings

I've often seen movies and felt a little uncomfortable in some parts or felt questionable about the rating that had helped me to decide on the movie. Certain scenes, topics, language, themes, etc. have really become a bigger issue than in years past, when it was horrific to hear any kind of swearing or see even a suggestion of sexuality. It seems that, as the entertainment industry has grown and changed, movie ratings as well have changed, which has a lot of parents worried for their children, and a lot of people worried about where tings will go next. I've noticed that world standards are changing, and along with those changes, there are a lot of people who are just giving up trying to figure out what their kids should or shouldn't watch. Or even what they themselves should or shouldn't watch.

This isn't to say that they aren't conscious about the choices that they're making, but it seems to take a greater and greater effort to check a rating, review the reasons for the rating, decide if it's appropriate or not, and then actually watch the movie and worry about if it will actually live up to the standards that have been placed for it. There's a whole lot to consider with a movie, and it seems like those decisions are just getting harder, especially as there seems to be an increasingly bigger gray area in those same standards and decisions.

There are a lot of people who believe that the ratings system should be revised so that there are stricter guidelines on how a movie is rated and what rating it receives. There are also those people who say the opposite, that the system is too strict, that there needs to be freedom of expression and the system needs to be revised so as to allow producers an easier time in releasing their movies that they have so painstakingly worked on a fretted over. Then there are those who would tell us that we just need to get rid of the ratings altogether because they're not doing their job anymore and they've become obsolete. And there are probably a few other views and opinions somewhere in between those that I haven't covered.

So an important question to ask is who actually has the right idea, if anyone? Lots of opinions, no concrete answers, hugely varied standards, all of this makes everything a little more complicated that it seems at the surface. Along with that whole issue, we need to decide if actually is a problem with the current ratings system that needs to be addressed as many people say. Could it just be simply a variation in personal standards?

Keeping this blog is an assignment for a class that I have, but I feel strongly about this issue, which makes it something that I want to write about and discuss. Part of the reason is that this whole topic strongly affects children. I don't have any children, but I am engaged and am getting married in just a few months, which makes the issue a bit more pressing on my mind. So in this blog, I am going to talk about these issues (mentioned before) about movie ratings and the process that movies go through to be rated, but I will also tell why I believe the system should be changed or revised (for our sake as well as for the sake of our children and theirs). I am in no way going to give a definitive answer as to what should be done (as if that could even be possible), but over eight blog posts I will discuss:

-the history of the ratings system (who created it, where it came from, how it is currently run, etc.)
-the apparent philosophy behind the current ratings system (why it was created, why it has continued)
-some of the problems with the current ratings
-specific things or aspects of it that should be changed
-suggestions to revise or fix it (in my personal opinion)
-3 more posts that still need to be decided (will probably include the effects on children and families, statistical studies, and religious viewpoints)

Throughout this blog, I would love it and would think it ideal if all of my comments and arguments were totally unbiased and objective, presenting the facts how they really are and nothing more. But, unfortunately (or not) I am human, so I do have a personal opinion. And I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS church, Mormons), which brings religious affiliations and standards into view (although my viewpoints are MY viewpoints, not necessarily the church's). But I think this topic is a very important one, mainly because movie-going has become such an integral part of the American culture and the issue of the ratings is not going away. Finishing off, the question that I ask myself in thinking about this topic/issue is, “Where do we want our standards to go in the coming years?” If the movie ratings system continues the way it is, will it affect our future? Or will it not make much of a difference?